Counseling, even Christian counseling, is not about preaching at you. It’s a conversation with you.
The conversation isn’t always the same, but here are some common elements:
- Information about the situation that brought you into counseling
- Coming to an agreement on the main issues involved
- Exploring solutions for the issues and agreeing on a plan
- Using the plan to make changes in your life
- Adjusting the plan, as needed
You might be thinking that sounds like secular counseling. It might be similar because it’s a logical conversation, but remember that in biblical Christian counseling we recognize God’s involvement, too. We need to depend on Him to uncover the patterns and not-so-obvious parts of the story. His Spirit is quietly involved to show the way, using Scripture and the “wisdom from above” spoken about in the book of James. Obviously, the Bible is critical in all of this process, too.
So, should you expect to have Bible verses thrown at you left and right? Some counselors actually do that, and they do it excessively. Others use verses to “prove” their secular approach is actually scriptural. Not here, though.
Instead of assorted verses, we look at the major themes and top priority instruction given in Scripture. We really try to avoid using just one verse. Of course, sometimes a verse summarizes the passage so it can be a quick reference to a truth. Even then, you need to know the whole passage to understand the shortcut.
Don’t think every appointment will be a Bible Study, though.
The counselor may not explain every connection between his comments and the Bible. When working from a biblical view of the world, those connections are continuous and natural. It would bog down the conversation to constantly explain such a context.
Instead of a sermon, you should expect to do most of the talking, especially at first. You won’t get a cookie-cutter set of instructions to “solve your problem,” and you won’t be told there’s only one way to do things (that would be the “my way or the highway” approach.) All the options should be considered: the good, the bad, and the ugly; then you can make your choice and your plan.
As you work out your plan, the counselor should be there to support you and help adjust the plan as things develop. That allows you to tailor what you’re doing to the real-life situation you live in.
Hopefully, this helps explain that biblical Christian counseling is not about making you religious. It’s about helping you develop a stronger spirit and soul, in step with what God is already doing in your life.
Recent Comments